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2015-02-23 - A Grey Area
Queens, New York. One of the city's more...humble districts. With the subway as your primary way to get around, it's still a very active part of the city. Pelting toward the subway is a certain young lady with a blonde pigtail, wet from a shower she took too late. Really needs to get up earlier, it'd keep her from constantly missing the... And the subway leaves as she vaults the turnstile, not bothering to pay the token. Cassie Lang skids to a stop, watching her train pull out and curses. She quickly texts mom on her phone 'missed it. Late for school again.' Also in the subway station is one Richenda Gray, enjoying some time off from school in her favorite city on Earth. She's heading for the turnstile, having arrived on an earlier train, her familiar denims and parka blending in with most of the crowd here. Only her rainbow-striped tassel cap and her well-worn purple gearslinger stand out. And her interestingly exotic looks. She's not far away when someone vaults the turnstile with impressive agility, running for the subway. The subway is quicker, though, and Chenda's eyes widen at what comes out of the innocent-looking girl's mouth. She smiles in self-deprecating amusement: Gotta look beyond the surface to read people, gypsy girl! Still, now's a good time for some practice in another neglected talent: Filching. She moves casually behind the girl, as if waiting for the next subway. Then, edging to the right, she coolly and quickly low-fives the blonde on the left hip and withdraws her hand, waiting for the rude gesture to do its distracting work... Standing as a fairly easy target, the blonde with the ponytail is stuffing her phone into her pants pocket as she's patted. Cassie turns immediately and predictably, slapping at the place on her hip and her face turns into a frown. Well, it already kind of was, from missing the train. "Hey!" comes out of her mouth quickly, apparently not afraid to react, and she looks at a nearby guy with a newspaper on that side. Who obviously wasn't the one, unless he's figured out how to use magic. She starts looking around her confusedly, alertness level rising quickly. Chenda, with light fingers, easily slips the phone from Cassie's pocket and reflexively tries to put it in her front jeans pocket, her other hand going for her its twin to complete the image of casual innocence. It doesn't work out quite that well, though: The phone's a bit big for both it /and/ her hand to fit in that pocket, and she ends up pushing her jeans down several inches with the force of the try. They're just loose enough to fall, leaving her standing in the middle of the station with her underwear showing. She does at least have the presence of mind to gasp and look around, quickly palming the phone. The same pervert who touched the blonde might be the kind to pull down others' pants, right? The celphone is flashing as it's screen comes up with a message from someone named Mom. 'STRAIGHT to school young lady. No heroics. Last warning, if i see you on the news again i'll have a stroke.' Then seconds after: 'trus me, i'll see it. You're hard to miss' Whoever Mom is, she's right on top of her phone on the other end. Not spotting her target, Cassie looks confusedly around the subway crowd and makes a moue with her lips. Being a good new yorker though, she pats herself down right away to see if she just got robbed. And she sees ..girl with her panties showing? She blinks and listens for the telltale sound of receiving a text message. Seconds later, she's diving for Richenda, expecting to be able to grab at least but most likely just assisting in the wardrobe malfunction and yanking down her pants as she misses the tackle. Uh-oh... Chenda knows that look that pops up in the blonde's eyes when she looks her way. Busted! But she doesn't even have time to open her mouth before the other girl is diving her way! She tries to step back, but she's not quick enough: The other girl half-tackles, half-falls-into the Gypsy girl's thighs, getting a double-handful of half-fallen jeans and sending them both to the station floor in a heap. At least it's been swept and mopped since last night! Wincing, Chenda pushes herself up on her elbow. That hurt. Her cheeks visibly pinken as she looks at herself, seeing black and white striped high-cut briefs and bare brown legs below the hem of her coat. She gives the blonde her best winsome smile, not having to feign the embarrassment that tinges it. "Hi. Um, sorry..?" With pale cheeks, the blonde sits on Richenda's legs as she realizes how awkward these things get sometimes. "Nice underwear," she says annoyedly as she tries to figure out what to do next. Which isn't obvious, though she tries to grab Chenda's wrist in a lock if possible. It may not be, the girl -is- highly flexible. "Seriously, I was already having a bad day." "Thanks. It was in a five-pack at... Oof! You're totally not as light as you look, taffytop," Chenda mutters, swiveling her near wrist away from the blonde's grasping hands. She starts to offer Cassie the phone back... and blinks as she sees the message on it. "Whoa... you too?" she asks, too startled to keep a good guard on her tongue. "Um, I mean... wow, meeting a real superhero? Superheroine?" Unable to really get the wrist hold, Cassie snags her phone when she sees it, glancing at the screen. Her face flushes red as she stuffs it down her shirt into her bra, and she peers at Richenda closely now that she doesn't have to actually be fighting the girl for position. She taps Richenda's nosetip with a finger and seems to remember that she's sitting on the girl's legs. "If I let you up, am I going to have a fight on my hands? I get enough of that and we're attracting a crowd already." Which isn't true, New Yorkers pointedly ignore the event like it was someone else's problem. "And no, of course I'm not a super hero. That would be ridiculous." She rolls her eyes at that comment, though her tone of voice adds the subtext 'in public, anyway'. "Well, depends... will you be taking my pants with you?" Chenda asks, trying to joke even while being sat upon. Besides, there's a fingertip at her nose, and at least the girl's /talking/. She can't be all bad. "'Cuz you sound like you could use a trip to a coffee place, and I'm not treating if you do. Not to mention there'd be a certain amount of pouting." And she demonstrates that she's got serious pouting chops, though those dark eyes still glitter with amusement. Cassie Lang leans her head back and looks at the ceiling as if asking a deity for help with crazy people. She rubs her own cheek a moment, then gets up and off of Richenda's legs, saying, "I am too as light as I look. It's ....okay, I have no follow-up for that. On your feet, sneaky person who is obviously not a hero." The blonde seems to consider offering a hand, and...actually does so, standing over Richenda a moment, statuesquely. "Coffee would be good, but if I dont catch this next train my mother will literally drive to my school to guilt me into submission. I swear she was jewish in another life." "Nice pose," Chenda ripostes, taking the offered hand with one hand and drawing her jeans up with the other. "The next train's not for ten minutes yet, if my watch isn't slow. I think I can grab us both something in that time, and my time's my own today; I could keep you company on the way to school," she offers, quickly unbuttoning her jeans and slipping them back into place. "Sound like a plan?" Cassie Lang looks at her celphone a second, checking the time. Which does require pulling her cleavage a bit, but not in a way that attracts creepers. Mostly. "Considering you just tried to rob me, I should probably say thanks and walk away, but I'm feeling particularly like annoying the fam today." Motioning toward the coffee place, she adds, "You're not actually a plant put here to kidnap me and use me against the Avengers again, are you? We did that last week and it's getting old." Never once glancing at Chenda's underwear, she apparently doesn't swing that way. "Actually, I was just practicing... which is a long story, and I won't have time for it if I'm getting us coffee," Chenda replies, catching an accidental peek at the phone's hiding place and its surroundings when Cassie takes a peek of her own at the time, her cheeks pinkening a little more. "Besides, I don't want to be here when that rings the next time. It'd be embarrassing. Be right back!" And she's off with unsurprising (but still impressive) speed, worming through the crowd expertly. Cassie Lang opens her mouth to answer, then closes it again as her phone does make text-incoming noises, and she says, "I'll be...right," as she pulls it out and answers her mother's frantic text messages. No mom, I'm not fighting anyone. The train will be here in five. Here's a picture of me standing at the train station, calm the hell down already. Yes I swore, you don't trust me at all. She looks like a small thundercloud when Richenda reappears. Chenda's back in only four minutes, not bad for New York. She has two large cups of mocha latte with her, thoughtfully travel-lidded, as well as a smile that fades into concern when she sees the rising storm that is Cassandra. "Oh... would a hug help?" she asks, sounding genuinely concerned. Cassie Lang tucks her phone away after sending a message 'train coming, afk'. "She's just going to have to get over it," she mumbles, then nods to Richenda's arrival. With the train not quite there yet, it may be a lie but it's a lie that Cassie can live with for now. "Coffee would help," she says, taking one of the cups thankfully. Looking over the rim as she sips, Cassie inspects Richenda, then asks bluntly, "Is running away an option? One foot out the door here, if I'm honest." Chenda hands over the coffee with a respectful nod, then looks quickly away as Cassie puts away her phone so as not to embarrass the other girl. "Well, I do know some people that it worked for, sort-of including myself. But I don't suggest it as a first choice. It's harder than it looks on TV," she replies, keeping her voice down. "Is it your mom? What I saw looked very mom-ish... I'm sorry about that, by the way. I wasn't trying to invade your private life." Cassie Lang leans back against a post, patting the side as an offer if Richenda wants to join. She leans and sighs, shaking her head. "She worries. I mean, I can understand, but hell. It's my life, and I gotta...yes, it's my mom." Cassie grins a little, realizing how scatterbrained she's acting. "Sooner or later I'm going to have to man up and grow a pair, is all. You weren't intruding, aside from the whole pickpocketing thing. Which is cool, got to be a handy skill when you know what to look for." She pauses, then adds distractedly, "Probably won't be going home after school today though." "I can see why, if you're... unusual. In a good way, I mean," Chenda replies, and takes a sip of her latte. "But she's got to understand, too. You're your own person, and you've got to /be/ that person. And the sooner the better. Same with her realizing it." She smiles ruefully. "I got a late start on that. I don't recommend it." She takes the offered spot on that post and looks down the tunnel, watching for the train. "It does come in handy sometimes. It kept me alive more than once, a year or so ago now. I could teach you... if you're willing to practice. It's not something you pick up in an afternoon..." She catches herself, realizing what the blonde just said. "Wait... not going home? Should I meet you after school? I totally have time, and you sound like you could use a friend. Which I guess I'm not, and maybe not ever, but I want to help." The train showing up in the far end of the tunnel heralds a change in venue, as the light gets people's attention. Cassie quirks a corner of her mouth at Richenda's comments and following offer, shrugging as she pushes up off of the post. "Pretty sure I won't have time to practice, but if it goes that way. I'm Cassie Lang, by the way." Which might show up on Richenda's mental radar, or it might not. As she ambles toward the train entry, she motions to come along toward her compatriot. "If you want. I'm probably going to end up with a friend of the family, if that makes sense. Girl's got to do what's right, yannow? But I could use a hug anyway, because damn." She's trying not to cry, looking all tough, but there's a tear on her cheek anyway. Chenda follows along. "Chenda Gray. Actually, it's /Ri/chenda, but nobody uses the first part after a week anyway, so I figured I'd save ya some time." She doesn't recognize the name, but then, she isn't good at following the superhero scene. Having reading problems gets in the way. She steps onto the train, frowning in concern as she catches sight of Cassie's attempt at bravery. Instead of answering, she sets down her coffee, relieves Cassie of hers, and gives her a hug. A good one; warm, close, and supportive. "I know I'm totally dressed wrong for cheerleading, but I'm rooting for you, Cassie," she whispers. "And consider me committed. Friend of the family doesn't make sense, no, but moral support will be incoming. Lots of it, promise!" Cassie Lang lets it out a bit, crying into Richenda's hair for as long as she needs. She lets the train do the heavy lifting of getting them to where they're going and closes her eyes, trusting this little pickpocket for a bit. She obviously needs someone to trust right now, from the fingers digging into the fabric of Richenda's coat. She sniffles a bit after as long as she needs to cry ends, and she wipes her cheeks with the sleeve of her jacket. "Sorry. I'm a mess." Sniffles again. Chenda, for her part, just lets Cassie get it out of her system and keeps hugging, supporting the taller girl and stroking her long hair soothingly. "It's okay... I totally understand, Cassie," she whispers earnestly. She sounds like she's being completely honest, not just comforting. At last the tears stop, and Chenda steps back a little, clasping Cassie's shoulders and looking her over. "A little... but I think you've been needing that for a while," she replies soothingly. "And I'll help. I have a comb and a few things..." She shrugs off her gearslinger into a seat and produces the comb, handing it and a mirror to Cassie. Then she inspects the blonde girl's clothes. A quick decision made, she quickly flicks open Cassie's jeans and tugs them down onto her thighs, then arranges her shirttail neatly and pulls the jeans up over it, fastening them again. Then she straightens her jacket. Cassie Lang gives her face a quick adjustment, a professional motion that suggests she's had to do that under fire before. Which is how she feels as her pants are undone, coughing as she's adjusted and Richenda gets a sight of not underwear, but the red striped black bodysuit she wears from head to toe. With a grin, Cassie adjusts her hair and pulls the ponytail into place, getting her bangs out of her eyes. "Friend of the family," she muses aloud. Eyes looking to Richenda, she looks strong again, though there's a warmth in her eyes that was missing earlier. "I should take you to meet my family after school. You'd like them." Now, how Richenda would respond to meeting them? That might be another story.